Marine Planning

Team Manager: James Green 

Marine planning improves our understanding of the distribution of human activities and natural assets, balancing priorities, setting policy, and where appropriate, allocating space to achieve environmental, economic and social objectives. The introduction of marine planning enables a shift from the management of individual marine sectors to a more integrated approach that considers how human activities interact with each other and how they affect our marine environment.

Regional marine planning in Orkney provides the opportunity for local communities and marine users to have greater involvement in how Orkney’s seas are managed by setting local objectives and policies and providing local knowledge and data to inform decision making.

In the Orkney Islands marine region, the National Marine Plan and the Orkney Islands Regional Marine Plan are used by public authorities in the determination of relevant licences, permissions and consents.